Paccar engine plant in Columbus to begin production in late 2010

The plant will manufacture 12.9-liter and 9.2-liter diesel engines for Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF vehicles.

The Trucker News Services

8/26/2010

COLUMBUS, Miss. — Production at Paccar’s new engine plant here will be under way by the end of the year, the plant manager has told The Commercial Dispatch, the newspaper serving Columbus, Starkville and the surrounding areas.

A Paccar spokesman confirmed that production would begin later in the year.

Workers are already being hired.

"We currently have about 90 people," Plant Manager Lex Lemmers told the newpaper. "We're currently making sure we train them in groups. We have to do a proper training to bring them up to speed before they start assembling engines."

The current estimate for the final required employee head count is just over 100, but that number is subject to change depending on the company's financial success in the fourth quarter, Lemmers told the paper.

In the summer months, the plant has been installing equipment and running diagnostics to make sure the machines will be ready to produce engines safely and efficiently, he said.

"We're currently in full testing of our assembly equipment, which is going fine," Lemmers said.

The company broke ground on the 400,000-square-foot facility in 2007 for $400 million and agreed to provide 500 jobs by 2013. When the recession hit in 2008, the factory's opening date was pushed back.

Robin Easton, a spokesman for Paccar, said the plant is on schedule.

"Things have been progressing well, and we expect to commence production later on in the year," Easton said.

The plant will manufacture 12.9-liter and 9.2-liter diesel engines for Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF vehicles.

Kevin Jones of The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at kevinj@thetrucker.com.